Aarush smelled of hot asphalt and dry leaves. The afternoon moved slowly, golden, as if time itself had paused to breathe. In the apartment, Kali was cleaning up lunch while trying not to think too much. The conversation from the table still buzzed in her mind: Viki missing, strange symbols, dreams that didn't feel like dreams.

  Ping. Notification on her phone. Nicco.

  Wanna get kidnapped this afternoon? Just you and me. No drama. "Friend plan" to unplug. Though if a kiss slips out... I can't promise I won't return it.

  Kali smiled. That tone—so him. Bold and tender all at once. She hesitated for just a second, just enough to play hard to get.

  Give me 15 minutes. But only if you drive me in that ridiculous car that smells like expensive cologne and emotional chaos.

  I'm already downstairs. As always, reading your mind.

  Kali peeked out the window. There he was. Nicco, leaning on his old but restored Mercedes, sleeves rolled up, sunglasses on, and that crooked smile that was practically a weapon of mass seduction.

  "Are you going to make me wait like in the movies, or are you coming down before I melt?" he called out.

  She grabbed her bag, slid on a bit of gloss, tied an oversized shirt at her waist, and headed down.

  The first thing she noticed when she got into the car was the cool air and his scent: wood, citrus, and... danger. The radio was playing softly—an Arctic Monkeys song in the background.

  "You always know the right song," she said, buckling her seatbelt.

  "Only when you're in the passenger seat," he replied, starting the engine.

  They drove aimlessly at first. The silence between them was comfortable, full of unspoken meaning. The city faded as they took a road toward the outskirts. Between laughs, silly jokes, and a few quick confessions ("sometimes I dream about your laugh," "I hate how much I like you when you're mad"), they ended up on a dirt road winding up to a hill hidden among trees.

  "Are you planning to kill me and dump my body in a ravine?" Kali asked, crossing her arms.

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  "Only if you say you're still in love with Baxter," he replied, taking off his glasses.

  "What part of 'Baxter was an emotional placebo' didn't you understand?"

  "The part where I'm supposed to stop imagining what it'd be like if we stopped pretending to be just friends."

  Silence.

  The car stopped in front of a clearing. From there, Aarush looked like a miniature city. A cool breeze stirred the branches. Nicco got out of the car, opened the trunk, and pulled out a blanket, two cans of iced tea, and a bag of cookies.

  "Trying to seduce me with vanilla cookies?" she teased, sitting down.

  "If I told you I also brought strawberries... would that be too much?"

  "A bit. But it works."

  They sat, legs just barely touching. The sun lowered gradually, painting the clouds in copper. They talked. About everything and nothing. About how they used to hide in the school library to skip class. How she cried the first time she saw him fight. How much he hated goodbyes but never admitted it.

  "You know what drives me crazy?" Nicco said quietly.

  "Tell me."

  "That part of me wants to kiss you until I lose my mind. And another part knows that if I do... there's no turning back."

  Kali looked at him. Not surprised. Just with that raw honesty she only showed when she couldn't pretend anymore.

  "And which part is winning?"

  He didn't answer. He leaned in slightly, his face close to hers. Kali could feel the heat, the scent, that energy of his that always undid her.

  "Nicco..."

  "Tell me to stop, and I will."

  She closed her eyes for a second. Opened her mouth. But instead of saying "stop," she said:

  "I'm scared you're not real."

  Nicco touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers, as if she were a sacred secret.

  "I am. I'm here. Even if the world falls apart."

  Kali blinked, feeling the weight of those words land in the pit of her stomach. For a second, her heart seemed to stop. And then he leaned in.

  Not to her lips.

  To her cheek.

  The kiss was soft. Long. Intentional. It didn't try to possess her. Just to say: "I'm here with you. And I'm not in a rush."

  Kali closed her eyes. Inhaled deeply. And for the first time in weeks, her chest expanded without pain.

  "That kiss... was worse than one on the lips," she whispered, eyes still closed.

  "I know," he replied, voice low. "But if I'd kissed you there, Kali... we wouldn't have been able to stop."

  She laughed. A dry, emotional, nervous laugh.

  "You scare me when you're this honest."

  "And you burn me when you're this close and still out of reach."

  They stayed there, looking at each other, surrounded by trees, sky, and a silence that spoke louder than any words.

  Then Kali said, almost without thinking:

  "Promise me that when all this blows up... you won't leave."

  Nicco didn't hesitate.

  "Not even if you ask me to."

  The promise lingered in the air. She lowered her gaze, swallowing something she didn't know how to name. He leaned back against the car, letting the wind speak into his ear.

  The sun finished setting. The world kept spinning.

  But for a moment, at least, everything felt clearer.

  And that...

  That was enough.